Chapter Fifteen
Keller
“Uh, what the fuck are you doing here, man? I could have killed you.”
Keller jerked up, hitting his head on Dom’s kitchen counter. He’d broken into his best friend’s house in the early morning darkness. “Liquor. I know you have some around here somewhere.” He moved from searching lower cabinets to riffling through upper ones, completely ignoring the fact that Dom was standing in the dark hallway, wearing only boxer briefs and wielding a baseball bat.
Dom crossed the room and pulled a bottle of Jack out of the pantry. He set it on the bar and then grabbed two shot glasses. “You want to tell me why we are drinking at six o’clock in the morning?”
“I need a drink first.” Keller unscrewed the bottle cap and sent Dom a small shrug. “You don’t have to join me.”
Dom scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Like hell I’m going to let my best friend drink alone. Line ’em up, buddy.”
Keller smiled; he loved Dom. “Okay, thanks.” They knocked their glasses together, knocked them on the table, and then took the shot. “Wow, that burns like fire when it’s mixed with toothpaste.”
“All right. Now you want to tell me what’s going on?” Dom put his glass down then sat the bat in the corner.
Keller poured another round, wincing. “I accidentally claimed Molly last night.”
The both picked up their shot glasses and repeated the ritual before downing another one. “How do you accidentally claim someone? Did you trip and land with your dick inside of her? And then pump it a few times and come all over her…cervix? Because if you did, that’s one hell of a fall, my man.”
Keller choked on his third shot, chuckling even though nothing about what had happened was funny. “No, I didn’t trip. Ass. Stop making me laugh—this is some serious shit.”
Dom pursed his lips, nodding sagely. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Tell me what happened.”
“So we’re hanging out at her house, kind of making out, then the next thing I know she starts telling me how much everything hurts and how she needs me to make it stop. I could see the pain on her face. Dom, she started to cry.”
His friend’s eyes went wide. “So Baze was right? If you try to stop the bonding it causes actual pain?”
“Oh yeah, it was like the pain blinded her or something. She had a one-track mind and I couldn’t stop her. Anyway, I kind of, well… You know, it’s not so easy talking about the things I do with Molly.”
Dom nodded. “I know. It’s like the instant the girl you’re nailing is your mate, it seems wrong to share.”
“Yeah. So, um, I helped her not be in pain. I gave her what she needed without actually claiming her.”
“I get what you’re trying to say.” Dom lined up another round.
“So eventually she passes out, and I’m hurting at this point, but I’m so exhausted that I lie down and fall asleep too. Then I think I’m having this perfect wet dream about Molly, but I wake up and realize, I’m not dreaming. She’s on top of me.”
“What? Why?”
He shrugged. “I’m guessing she woke up and heard me crying out. Maybe she was trying to help me. It was excruciating, man. When I woke up and realized what was happening I tried to stop her, but it was like she was in this weird trance or something. She was unstoppable and freakishly strong. So I kind of held out until she was done. And I was, like, holy shit, I made it. I’m awesome. Then I opened my eyes and she’s looking down at me with so much fucking trust and love on her face that I instantly came. Like without any warning.” He slammed his hand on the table. “Bam. Finished.”
“Shut. Up.”
“I will not.” Keller lifted his glass to Dom’s again and threw back shot number four.
“Where is she now?”
“Sunrise yoga.” Keller sagged against the counter, feeling the effects of the liquor. “It was the weirdest thing, man. She woke up this morning with kind of a whole different reality of what happened last night. She didn’t mention the pain at all. She was all loving and sweet and funny. Like in her mind, when I helped her out it was foreplay and then when she climbed on top of me, it the first time we slept together.”
“It’s probably better that way, right? How would you ever explain it to her? The discomfort and then the tunnel vision to make it stop? It would probably scare the shit out of her.”
“Oh, like telling her I shift into a wolf isn’t going to freak her out?” Keller took shot number five and waited until Dom did the same. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“You tell her the truth?”
“Orrrr…I just keep dating her. Then I marry her. THEN I tell her.”
“I mean that could work.” Dom tilted his head to the side, contemplating. “At least by that point she’ll have had time to fall madly in love with all of us and she won’t ever want to leave our wolf pack.” He giggled.
“You two are fucking morons.” Corey walked into the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of Jack on her way. “Keller, you man the hell up and tell her the truth. All of it. Molly is your forever. She was made for this life and she will handle it just fine. Stop using the damn Feds as an excuse.”
Dom smiled at his mate, looking like a lovesick fool. “Good morning, baby. I’m sorry we woke you up.”
Corey shook her head, sadly. “Y’all got drunk at six o’clock in the morning and I’m oddly jealous.”
Dom gave Corey another goofy grin, making Keller snort. “Isn’t my girl the most beautiful girl in the world?”
Keller chuckled, nodding. “She’s stunning. Can I rub the baby bump?”
“No.” Riley answered as he strode in through the back door carrying a box of fragrant pastries.
“Hey, kiddo. What are you doing up and about so early?” Corey eyed the bakery box, licking her lips. Corey had a sweet tooth the size of Texas. Chocolate croissants were her weakness.
Riley looked down at the box in his hand then back up at Corey, his expression wary. “I was planning on going to sunrise yoga?”
Keller nodded his head dramatically and gave Riley the universal a-okay hand signal. “Nice save, kid.”
Corey ignored Keller and trained her eyes on Riley. “Word of advice? The next time you want to lie about where you’ve been, don’t let your statement sound like a question. And apparently don’t do it in front of a drunk Keller.”
Riley furrowed his brow looking confused. “Why are Coach Byrne and Coach Hardy drunk at six o’clock in the morning? Today is a school day.”
Corey silenced Keller with her death stare when he opened his mouth to answer his youngest pack mate. “We can talk about that later. Right now, I want you to tell me where you’ve been.” Her voice took on a somewhat pleading tone. “Please tell me you have not been plowing your way through Haxton High.”
“I haven’t. I promise.” Riley held his hands out in front of him, like he was warding Corey off. “I only went out with like two girls from the high school. They were nice enough, but they both wanted to hold hands and go the movies every weekend. I don’t want to be anyone’s boyfriend. So Coach Byrne suggested, OUCH.” Riley rubbed his arm where Keller had just reached over and punched him.
“Bros before hoes, dude.” Keller shook his head, telling Riley in not so many words to keep his damn mouth shut.
Corey leaned across the bar and smacked Keller with the back of her hand. “You are on thin ice with me today, Byrne, and referring to me as a ho isn’t helping.” She returned her critical gaze to Riley. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Riley spared a wary glance in Keller’s direction before continuing. “Well, a couple weeks ago Coach Byrne gave me a ride home and we started talking about the girls I’d been hanging out with from Haxton, and I told him they were all really clingy. So then he suggested that maybe I start hanging out with some girls that were a little older. He said as long as I was honest and upfront with what I wanted and what I didn’t want, then everything would be okay.”
“Where would you find…” Corey shook her head, her forehead wrinkled like she was trying to solve a puzzle. “Holy shit, have you been taking him to Moon Bar?” She leaned over the counter a second time, back-handing Keller again. “He is only seventeen! How is he even getting in? I told you to make sure he was being safe, Keller, not hand him a box of condoms and line up ass for the next fucking month.”
Keller managed to look chastised, for a good ten seconds. “Look, you told me to talk to him, so I talked to him. Maybe next time you’ll give that job to Baze.” He shrugged casually. “And we know the bouncer at the bar, we let him come on campus to work out. As long as Riley doesn’t drink, cause any problems or go when Molly’s working because she knows he’s underage, then he can hang out there.”
Corey rolled her eyes. “Do y’all think I’m stupid? I know what you mean when you say ‘hang out.’ Is there any male in my family that hasn’t humped his way through that motherfucking bar?” No one answered her.
“Look, Corey, I know you are just looking out for me. And I love you for it, I really do. But I’m just trying to have some fun while I still can.” Riley winced, like saying those words in front of Corey embarrassed him. “I don’t know what my life is going to be like after the baby is born. I am supposed to be her protector. How can I protect her if I’m hanging out in some random chick’s bed? And I tried hanging out with girls my own age, but they all wanted relationships. I spend all my time around you and Dom. I know what forever looks like. I am not going to date someone just for the hell of it. I won’t settle for anything less than my soul mate.” He shrugged one slender shoulder. “So really, what’s the point?”
“Why can’t you just keep your dick in your pants?” Corey cocked an eyebrow.
Riley smirked like the teenager he was. “Why would I want to do that when there are so many girls out there willing to let me put it in much nicer places?”
Dom laughed, Keller fist-bumped him, and Corey punched him in the stomach.
Corey opened the bakery box and pulled out a chocolate croissant, gesturing with it. “You are a whore, just like all your brothers over here.” She waved her hand in Dom and Keller’s direction. “Carrying on the family legacy of screwing waitresses in the supply closet of Moon Bar.”
Dom threw his head back, chuckling loudly. “You can’t screw in the supply closet, there isn’t enou…” He trailed off when he realized Coop was most likely not going to be amused by what he was going to say. But he was right, there wasn’t near enough room in that little supply closet. You had to go out back in the alley or use the women’s restroom.
“You’re lucky I’m eating a chocolate croissant right now.” She glared at Dom.
Keller started cracking up. “Man, y’all have turned the most stressful morning of my life into the funniest.”
“Oh yeah? You think all this is funny, Keller?” Corey grabbed her cell phone off the counter, thumbed through her favorites, and put the phone to her ear. “Hey, Molly, how was class?” There was a brief pause. “Well, look I don’t want to put you out or anything, but would you mind coming to get Keller?” Pause. “Yeah I woke up this morning and found him and Dom drunk as hell in the kitchen.” Short pause. “I know—pathetic, right?” Pause. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him, he pissed his pants.” Another pause. “Okay, thanks, bye.”
Corey looked up, huge shit-eating grin on her face. “Now that was funny.”